Ms Nanci Creedon:

On the Chair's first point about dogs being pack animals and joining in in pack mentality, that is why it should be mandatory that people have a basic level of understanding of dog behaviour. A scientist, Dr. Rudolph Schenkel, studied wolves in captivity in a small enclosure in a zoo in Switzerland in 1947. He continued to refer back to dogs in his study. For example, he said that wolf A would compete with wolf C to get the most comfortable resting spot in the enclosure and, therefore, wolf A was the dominant wolf or the alpha wolf. His simple study essentially became the basis of dog training and dog understanding. In 1971 – I am not 100% on the year, so do not mark me on that – Dr. David Mech examined that study and essentially turned it into a book on wolves ecology, ethology and so on. In that book, he continued to refer back to dogs. They said that wolves competed for dominance, there was an alpha male and an alpha female, and they were pack animals. They then compared that idea to dogs and said that dogs competed for dominance and were pack animals, and that owners needed to show their dogs that they were alphas to ensure that their dogs became beta or subordinate and behaved themselves.

It was not until the 1990s that people decided to examine this idea to find out whether there was any truth in it when studying wolves in their natural habitats. They found that, while wolves in natural habitats formed packs and had alpha males and alpha females, wolves did not compete for dominance. Rather, the alpha males and alpha females were the breeding pairs and the wolf pack comprised the breeding pair and usually two litters. The wolf pack is a beautiful concept. What the wolves are doing is ensuring the survival of their pack. It is very much a case of all for one and one for all. If there is a shortage of food, the cubs will eat first. The best tracker will be the one to lead the way rather than the alpha male or alpha female, which would be the father or mother.

We saw that wolves formed packs and the concept of the pack was the survival of their gene pool, so we examined whether the same was true of dogs. We had never checked that beforehand. We just copied what Dr. Schenkel did, turned it into a book, and everyone became pack leaders and dominant over their dogs. When I got my little Jack Russell, I put a list on the fridge with things like needing to say "No" in a low, deep voice to show Pippa that we were dominant over her.

In the 1990s, people started looking at free-living dogs. This work started in Romania and was extended to Mexico and various other countries where many feral dogs were just left to their own devices. It examined whether they were competing for dominance and forming pack units. The truth of the matter is that dogs are selfish, are out for the survival of their own genes, and will interact similarly to humans. They are a social group. They enjoy the company of other dogs but do not have fixed groups. They will integrate into different groups. Dogs will compete for dominance over resources. If there is a bone, there might be a bit of growling over it and maybe Pippa the Jack Russell gets the bone. If Pippa and Sandy are then put in front of a ball, maybe Sandy wants it more and gets it.

When we are being misinformed that dogs are pack animals and competing for dominance, we are being told by default that, to have a well-behaved dog, someone must outcompete and be dominant over that dog. This leads to a great deal of punishment-based and intimidation-based training, which leads to nervous dogs and, in turn, leads to dogs that are more likely to behave aggressively.

A wealth of information about dogs is available on the Internet, in books and so on. I read stuff from ten or 15 years ago that is wrong. Much of the information that people believe to be true about dogs, including me before I started studying dogs and dog behaviour, is scientifically incorrect and ineffective. I teach dog behaviour to students who want to become trainers and behaviourists. Once they finish the course, almost all of them tell me that the feel guilty because they did so many of the wrong things with their dogs and misunderstood their dogs. Now that they understand their dogs' body language and behaviour and how they learn, they know how to care for their dogs correctly and how to understand dogs.

As to dogs forming packs and pack mentality, they are social animals and have social learning. A dog that sees another dog push open a door and get into the treats will follow suit. If one dog chases a sheep, the other dog will think it looks like fun and do the same. It is like mob mentality among humans. We do not say that humans are pack animals or competing for dominance.